Game apparatus.



R. READ.

- GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1, 1910.

Patented May 9, 1911'.

ICE. l

ROWLAND READ, OF WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK.

GAME APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RowLAND READ, of lVhite Plains, lVestchester county, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appeitains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a game apparatus adapted to be held in the hands and gyrated to roll a ball over its surface, and the object is to so arrange the surface of the device that it may be made to simulate the game of golf in which the ball is advanced progressively from hole to hole.

The invention resides in a peculiar arrangement of the surface of the game apparatus by which the movements of the ball, in addition to being made peculiarly different, are caused to simulate the actual golf game.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawing which represents as an example the preferred manner in carrying out my invention, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the board, and Fig. 2 is a cross-section thereof on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The game apparatus or device compris-es a board or fiat body 10, which may be constructed of any material from the working or upper surface of which a series of broken walls 11 arise surrounded by an unbroken marginal wall 12. 'Ihe broken walls 11 furnish tortuous or labyrint-h-like passages for the ball with which the game is played. These passages lead from the starting point or tee 14 to the various depressions 15 on the surface of th-e board, which depressions are provided respectively with the consecutive numbers 1 to 9. The depressions are also provided with a marking device, such as the miniature iiags 16. The game is played by starting the ball at the point 14 and causing it to roll by tilting the board successively to the depressions or holes according to the numbers thereof, namely, 1 to 9.

To facilitate understanding the principle on which the invention is based, I have drawn broken lines indicating the possible passages of the ball. It will be observed that these passages return upon themselves or, in other words, that the movement of the ball must be retraced after the hole is Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 1, 1910.

Patented May e, 1911. Serial No. 569,865.

reached until the ninth hole is finally attained. By thus causing the courses to retrace themselves the finding of a continuous passage is prevented and thus the difliculty of the labyrinth is increased. It also furnishes an interesting simulation of the actual game of golf in the movements of the ball back and forth in various directions from one hole to the other. Further, notwithstanding that at first appearance the board seems to present a large number of open passages, nevertheless upon study it will be observed that from the left to the right there are but t-wo passages across the board. These passages I have indicated at a and they are so close together that they virtually amount to a single passage. From the bottom of the board to the top there are likewis-e two passages which I have marked b. This requires a frequent retracement of the course of the ball and it is this retracement which misleads the player in finding the correct passage.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A game apparatus simulating golf and comprising a playing board with a maze of vertical walls on its upper surface furnishing a plurality of intricate passages to numerous stations on the board, said walls being so arranged as to .require a retracement of th-e movement of the ball in each passage from one station to the other whereby the difficulty of finding the correct passage is increased.

2. A game apparatus simulating golf and comprising a playing board with a maze of vertical walls on its upper surface furnishing a plurality of intricate passages to numerous stations on the board, said walls being so arranged as to require a retracement of the movement of the ball in each passage from one station to the other whereby the difficulty of finding the correct passage is increased and said walls furnishing a minimum number of gateways across the board between opposite sides further to increase the difliculty of determining the true passage.

3. A game apparatus simulating golf and comprising a playing board with a maze of vertical walls on its upper surface furnishing a plurality of intricate passages to numerous stations on the board, said walls being so arranged as to require a retracement of the movement of the ball in euch passage In testimony whereof I have signed my from one station to the other, whereby the nmne to this speeieaton in the presence of dfeulty of ndng the correct passage is two subscribing` Witnesses.

increased, each of said stations being marked ROVLAND READ. by a depression n the board and an indicating device rising above the upper edges of the Walls.

Witnesses B. BIGGE, F. C. MARTIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

